Tent-supporter.



J. .BRENT.

TENT SUPPORTER,

APPLICATION man |AN.24, 1913.

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l. A. BRENT.

TENT SUPPORTER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.24, 1913.

:Il ,@@Q'Y Patented Oct. 24, 1916.

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JAMES A. BRENT, OF NEW' YRK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE BRENT COMPANY, INC.,.A CORPORATIN 0F NEW' YORK.

TENT-SUPPOBTER.

neonata.

Application filed January 24, 1913.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JAMES A. BRENT, a citizen of the United States,residing at New York, in the State of New York, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in rFent-Supporters; and I do hereby declarethe following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to the pro vision of means for quickly andeffectively raising and supporting tents of all kinds, without the useof special devices permanently incorporated in the tents themselves, andwithout the use of openings of any kind to accommodate the supportingmeans.

The principal object of this invention is to supply light, portable,inexpensive and easily operated means for carrying out the ends abovementioned, whereby the labor of pitching tents and the convenience ofthis operation are greatly enhanced.

I have illustrated certain preferred embodiments and applications ofthis invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is alongitudinal section of one form of supporter applied to a fabric of anykind, Fig. 2 is a cross section of the same through the middle, Fig. 3is a similar view near one end, Fig. 4 shows one means for employing apair of these supporters, Fig. 5 shows one mode of applying the deviceto one form of tent, Fig. 6 shows another mode of applying the device totents, and Fig. 7 is a cross section of a modified form of externalframe.

I employ an external frame 10, which may be of wood, metal, wire, orother mate rial that is suitable, and within this frame I use a core 11,preferably in the form of a bar, but not necessarily. Combined withthese elements I employ means for creating mutual pressure between theframe and its contents. The frame 10 may have various shapes, asindicated bv two examples of cross sections shown in Figs. 3 and 7.

In Fig. 1 the frame is practically a troughshaped box. The core is a bar11, with enlarged ends 12. The means for creating pressure as aforesaidis the pressure-plate 13, having a guiding lip 14, and adapted to bepushed in and out by the screw 15,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented iUlct. 241i, 1916.

Serial No. 743,962.

threaded into one end of the box and so secured to the plate 13 as todraw or push 1t out or in, while still capable of turning.

Various means for exterior attachment of the frame may be used. Forinstance, eves 16 may be placed at one or both ends of the frame, as inFig. 1, or a single stout eye 17 may be used on top of the frame, as inFig. 4.

For the sake of lightness, where a wire framework is not used, the box10 is cut out at intervals in a more or less ornamental manner, as shownat 18. I also prefer to roughen the internal contact surfaces Vat theends as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

In applying the device to a given fabric, the frame 10 is applied to theupper side thereof with the pressure device in retracted position. Thecore is then placed under the fabric and pushed up into the frameforcing the material over it up into the frame as shown at 19 in Figs. 1and 2. Ihen this is accomplished the pressure device is tightened, and,in the form shown, this is done by appropriate action of the screw 15.This creates pressure against the ends of the core, and iirmly securesthe whole in place. I also prefer slightly to incline the ends of theframe 10 toward the opening, as shown. in order to narrow said opening,and-thus increase the security of the device.

In F ig. 5 is shown a means for applying .the device to a conical tent20. The apex of the tent having been secured within the supporter in themanner already described, a rope E21 may he strung through thesupporting eye 17 at the top, and its ends secured to suitable props,such as the tree 22 and the pole :223, the latter being supported by astay rope or wire, 24. The top being thus held up, the edges are stakeddown in any usual manner as at 25.

In Fig. 6 is shown a preferred means for pitching a wall tent, with Ashaped roof. @ne advantage of my invention in this connection lies inthe fact that I am able to govern the degree of tension exerted alongthe ridge or apex line of the tent, while holding` the canvas taut,along vertical lines.

As shown in Fig. 6, I prefer to apply a separate fabric supporter 10 toeach end of the ridge line, and to suspend these supporters by cords orropes 26, 27, at their outer edges, with a tension rope 28 connectingthe e quiclly pitched.

j two supporters. vIn this case the'support'ers i be relieved to anyless extent.

'Another mode of employing this invention for supporting fabrics underconditions permitting adjustment of tension is` shown in Fig. 4.7 Herethe supporters proper are fixed to two bars 29, 30, which telescopeintoa sleeve 3l. The tension can be adjusted by sliding therbars nearertogether or farther apart andsecuring them by mea-ns of set screws 32,or other means for adjusting the bars and securing them may be used. Byraising the sleeve 3l and its bars by means of a rope 33, or otherwise,the tent may be lVarious changes may be made in mydefpwithpoutjdeparting from th'e scope of myk invention, and l d0 notlimit myself to the details herein show-n and described.

Copies of this l*patent may be obtained for What I claim isl. Means forVsupporting a tent comprising in combination two separate devices forgripping the canvas yfrom without, tensional supports attached to saiddevices tending to draw them apart and an adjustable tension device'connecting said gripping devices, whereby the tension exerted on thecanvas maybe regulated and be made independent ofthe degree of tensionexerted by said supports.

2. Means for supporting a tent comprising-inl combination two separatedevices for gripping the canvas from Without, tcnsional supportsattached to said devices tending to draw them apart and an adjustablerope connecting the said gripping devices outside of the tent, wherebythe tension exerted upon the canvas by the supports may be regulated.

In testimony whereof, I aiiix my signature, in presence of twowitnesses.

JAMES A. BRENT.

lVitnesses: Y

(H. S. MACKAYE, KATHARINE C. MEAD.

ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

